1. Field of the Disclosure
Ever since man has challenged the fish of the seas he has attempted to devise equipment which makes fishing either easier or more productive. A myriad of fishing lures are available for use with a wide variety of fishing rods and reels, each with individual particular features for special purposes. Rods and reels have also been produced in a multiplicity of designs for various purposes, sometimes such that a fisherman needs or thinks he needs more than one rod and reel combination for successful fishing.
Moreover, due to the overwhelming popularity of the sport of fishing, many times groups of fishermen fish together, jointly occupying a small boat or a particularly suitable portion of the shore. Whether alone or in a group, however, fishermen universally recognize that the rod and reel must be protected from damage, not so much during use, although each fisherman hopes to catch a true monster of the deep, but during travel to and from the water and during periods of nonuse.
The present invention relates to a safe, practical and convenient device which is useful in carrying one or more fishing rods and reels in a ready-to-use condition without concern for common mishaps, such as broken rods, tangled lines and contaminated reel parts.
2. Prior Art
Various devices have heretofor been proposed in the prior art for transporting or holding fishing equipment. Most always, the prior art devices require clamping the rod or the reel or otherwise attaching or detaching something to secure the rod to the carrier. This oftentimes leads to tangled lines, broken rods and ultimately misuse of the equipment carrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,819 discloses a portable fishing rod holder which can be pushed into the ground for stability. This holder uses a pair of plates having holes to hold the rod handles at an angle away from the center axis. No parts extend upward for carrying the device, and in fact the device would be substantially unstable without the center shaft being adequately stuck in the ground.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,674,190 discloses a rod carrier wherein a covering is wrapped around a base to protect the reels, while the rods are removably mounted on the vertical member in a secure fashion. The device employs inherent bending of the rods for tension to hold the rods in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,575,327 discloses a flexible fishing rod carrying case which comprises a plurality of pockets and ties to hold a plurality of rods which are then rolled up like a blanket.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,131 teaches the use of a dual form fishing rod holder which clips the rod to the support and adjustably positions the rod in either a storage or use position. Finally, in a related device, U.S. Pat. No. 3,172,585 discloses a golf club carrier using a plurality of radial clamps on a supporting shaft with a cup at one end to protect the handles from the rain.
None of the above devices provides a convenient storage device for fishing rods and reels that is stable for use at the lake, in a boat or in a camper or on a shore. Moreover, the devices described above do not conveniently provide a means for carrying a plurality of rods and reels from one point to another, such as from a boat to the cabin without endangering either the safety of the rod or reel, or permitting the vexing problem of line tangling.